RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROCESS AND OUTCOME

Exploring the relationship between process and outcome in young children's learning: stage one of a longitudinal study

Abstract

The first phase of a small-scale, longitudinal study which is part of the Effective Early Learning (EEL) Project, a UK based, national, early childhood evaluation and improvement initiative is described. A key developmental proposition is that children who operate in a rich and stimulating learning environment and experience high levels of involvement and engagement in their learning will achieve enhanced learning outcomes. The EEL Project aims to investigate the validity of this proposition. In particular, it explores the relationship between one of the key process measures in the EEL Project, the Child Involvement Scale (CIS), and the outcome measures being used by early childhood settings to monitor academic progress in the UK, namely Baseline Assessment in English and Mathematics (BAEM) at 4 years of age, and Standard Assessment Tasks (SAT) at 7 years of age.

Exploring the relationship between process and outcome in young children's learning: stage one of a longitudinal study

Introduction

Children's early educational experiences have a long-term and significant impact on their subsequent achievement and social behaviour (Leseman et al., 1992; Sylva & Wiltshire, 1993; Ball, 1994; Andersson, 1994; Plaisance, 1994; Brown, 1994; Bruner, 1996). There are also important economic and social issues which are increasing the pressure to expand early childhood services in order to develop human resources (Moss, 1994; Moss & Penn, 1996). Globalization, the increasing need for accountability, and other political pressures have meant that policy makers across the world have begun to accept the evidence for investment in early education as a critical element in the pursuit of economic and social development (Dahlberg & Åsén, 1994; Young, 1995). In addition, there is a growing body of evidence which shows that it is important for early educational provision to be of quality, as not all forms of early educational provision will necessarily bring the benefits desired. In fact, if children are placed in settings which do not meet their developmental needs appropriately, their early educational experiences could actually be detrimental to subsequent progress (Schweinhart, Weikart & Larner, 1986; Schweinhart & Weikart, 1993). Thus, both the expansion and improvement of early childhood education are high on the political agenda internationally.

The Effective Early Learning Project

The Effective Early Learning (EEL) Project was initiated in the UK in 1993 (Pascal, Bertram, Ramsden, Georgeson, Saunders & Mould, 1996; Pascal & Bertram, 1997a). The EEL Project is a national research and development initiative which aims to improve the quality of early learning in a wide range of education and care settings. It grew out of an increasingly articulated need for procedures to evaluate and improve young children's early educational experiences in the diverse mix of settings which make up pre-school provision in the UK (Ball, 1994). Policy here, as in other countries, has in recent years moved towards an expansion of pre-school provision and a lowering of the age of admission to school.

This expansion has been coupled with a drive for quality ...